Convergent Fates
by JackalRaptor
Summary: If you woke up one day as something that had never existed before that day, would you really be ready for what comes next?
1. Prologue

**Hey everybody, JackalRaptor here! I'm not a Jackal or a Raptor, so don't get the wrong idea.**

 **After sitting in my bed thinking about what I should make for dinner (I can't cook to save my life so I was leaning towards reheating pizza, but there was also sushi leftovers… I went with both.), I randomly thought, "What if I not only did art… BUT ALSO WROTE SHIT?!" This was a new revolutionary concept for me, and I decided to go with it. I decided that I'd work on this new story, Convergent Fates. I've hit a bit of writer's block writing the story, and otherwise this would have been posted two weeks earlier. Nevertheless, I'm still gonna do it. Actually, rescind that statement, given that if I wasn't gonna do it wouldn't be reading this now. Anyway, this is a completely new and different experience from what I usually do (draw, play video games and be an asshole in general), so cut me some slack if I don't get some stuff right. Also, check out my Twitter, JackalRaptor, where I actually put effort into things, and my DeviantArt which I barely ever use, hahaha. Now without further ado, on with the story!**

 _ **Convergent Fates, Prologue: Already Too Late**_

There were no coherent thoughts humans could understand coming from the worm; more, there were mere feelings. As the worm inched across the hardened rock, it felt the feeling of anxiety. Would it be able to make it back to the soft ground in time? What if it was eaten by the large flying creatures before it got there? The worm was incapable of predicting what would happen, but it knew it had to get back to a place where it could burrow in as soon as it could. The worm had no hopes, dreams or plans, but it had one goal: survive. It didn't exactly know why it had to do such a thing; it never thought to ask such a question. It was instinct that caused it to do this, and it was instinct that caused it to do everything else as well.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the worm felt the ground fade from existence. It felt a strong force pulling it, but it was as if something was holding it back. The sudden change in stimuli caused the worm to wriggle in confusion and panic. Was the ground going to come back soon? That was the last thought the worm ever had, as the warbler chewed it up in it's beak.

The warbler flew up over the rocky cliff, littered with assorted patches of grass, tumbleweed bushes, and small piney trees. After about a quarter-mile of flight later, it neared its nest. Now, unlike the worm, the warbler was a more complex creature, capable of coherent thought and emotions. Right now, it was thinking about the chicks it needed to feed, and how much bigger they would grow within the next few cycles of light and dark. As the warbler fluttered it's brown and white wings down to the nest, it could hear the chirping of its offspring, who had immediately sensed their mother's return. The mother warbler chewed up the now motionless worm, and spit it into the mouths of the chicks, who eagerly gobbled up the mush. They cheeped happily, content with their mother's nurturing. The mother warbler settled in with its chicks in the comfortable nest, as they all seemed to relax, understanding that now was a time to do so. The warbler family looked out upon the scenery from their nest, the arid snowy mountains in the distance, the rocky cliff side where they lived, and the vast, flat, dry plain in between.

Suddenly, a bright flash shone from the valley below, as streaks of green and purple light seemed to radiate in a fabulous display. The warbler chicks were awestruck at the beautiful sight, but the mother was also cautious as to what this was caused by. She was right in her judgement to do so, as an intense sonic burst screamed through the air, like a thousand jet planes flying away from a single point at once. The chicks huddled close to the mother warbler, who could only sit and wait with her kin, hoping the dangers in the valley wouldn't come her way.

Meanwhile in the valley, the dangers were only getting worse. A shadowy bulky figure jumped back from the center of the blast, as did another shadowy tall figure from the opposite direction. The bulky figure raised his hand, like a policeman guiding cars out of a crowded area. From that hand energy seemed to swirl and coalesce into a sphere of raw power the size of the dragon himself. With a simple thrust of his hand, the ball became an enormous beam of energy, streaking through the air straight for the other figure. The dragon snarled, revealing razor sharp teeth, as he braced himself for the attack. As the beam found its mark, he thrust his arms into the path of death. With some difficulty, he was pushed back a couple feet before, with a shout, he threw his arms apart, ripping the beam in half and blowing away the surrounding debris. As the he looked up, his tail swayed in a brooding manner.

"Why the hell are we fighting, Cyrus?! Can't you fucking give it a break; everyone's not that bad! You're the one making it bad by KILLING EVERYONE!" He shouted with anger and annoyance.

"That's not an option. The our species is torturing itself to death and the only way to stop it and break the cycle is to end it all and start over. You should know this, you're not that different from me and the rest of us. How long ago was it when you were slaughtering people? You killed an entire militia, it's what you were MADE for. You can still join us, we'll… no. It's too late, and I know you'd never agree with us anyway." He said, indifferent to the other's pleading.

"Just because we can kill everybody doesn't mean we have to, they don't deserve this. Sure, some of them may, but most people are really nice. If everyone was gone, how'd we survive?"

"That doesn't matter. We just need to purge the universe of people who'll get in the way, and we'll worry about what's next when we get to it." He said calmly. Cyrus's foe sighed.

"You know what? Fine. If you really wanna play it like that, that's fine. How about we start it right now… but where to start? Oh, I know! WE'LL START WITH YOU." The tall figure hunched over, head down, muzzle facing the ground. Perhaps it was because he knew he couldn't do this alone, or because he knew even if he succeeded how much trouble he'd get in later. Whatever the reason was, he started to laugh. The colored stripes on his otherwise black scales began to emit a bright light, as green energy crackled and built up around him. Within about ten seconds, the landscape around him had cracked and broke. His laugh then reduced to a slight chuckle, and the tall, glowing figure looked up. Cyrus knew what was coming, but he still wasn't fully prepared for what he saw. As the tall one looked up, the yellow surrounding his red irises had become pitch black, and black ooze was leaking from his eyes, along with blood, which mixed into the ooze to create repulsive dark red tears. His face twisted into an unnatural grin, which transformed into a hysterical smile. His eyes were wide; they weren't filled with anger, sadness, or even happiness. What filled those dark, bloody eyes was nothing but pure, unadulterated insanity.

"THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!" he said, and he lunged at Cyrus at an incredible speed, cackling hysterically.

The battle was intense. Laser beams, loud noises, and powerful gales blasted from where the two dragons tall one manifested energy into two large swords, twice his height but weighing close to nothing since they were made of energy, and cleaved through the air at his foe. Cyrus blocked every swing, purple lightning crackling from his arms as he held them up to intercept each attack. He opened his mouth, and a sphere charged up within his maw. The tall one crossed his arms just as a massive blast knocked him backwards to the ground. He got up, brushing himself off, appearing to be only slightly hurt. His jacket sleeves had completely burnt off and his arms were steaming.

"Dammit, That was on sale."

That aloof attitude was exactly what pissed Cyrus off. He was never able to get how someone could still joke around when anyone else would freeze in terror. This was why that man would never qualify as a member in his organization; he was literally unable to take anything seriously. Of course, the fact that he was insane didn't exactly help either.

Cyrus' thoughts were interrupted by his opponent's energy weapons changing rapidly. He was switching strategies, trying to confuse Cyrus. The swords changed into spears, and axes, then guns. The taller dragon was switching strategies, that much was true. But he wasn't just switching to another strategy, he was changing it every few seconds. Cyrus was hardly able to keep this up, he'd have to take the offensive or he'd be finished.

Whips. He punched some away, avoiding the rest.

Guns. He sidestepped a few, but a bullet grazed his right shoulder, leaving a small cut.

Spears. He used his palms to move their trajectory away from him, but two hit his left arm. He started to bleed.

Clubs. Cyrus was knocked backwards. The air was knocked out of his lungs, but he gritted his teeth and kept his mouth shut; he needed to if he was going to win. His foe leaped into the sky, coming down for the finishing blow with dark red blood leaking from his mouth and eyes.

"DIE, ASSHOLE." He grinned, rocketing down towards the injured dragon, claws crackling with green lightning. And that's when Cyrus opened his mouth, releasing the huge explosion of energy he had been storing up that whole time. It was a dead-on hit, and Cyrus's enemy was blown back with the force of a missile, slamming against a nearby natural pillar of rock, the surface cracking from the force of the impact. He slumped down, hacking a combination of blood and black ooze and barely able to move.

"Not today, asshole."

Cyrus walked up to his weakened foe. With this guy out of the way, there was virtually nothing that could get in the way of their goal. They could finally be free, never having to worry about torture or being captured again. All he had to do was finish him off. He had won. The sweet feeling of victory swam through Cyrus's mind like an unbeatable ecstasy.

"You're going down."

"SPARKY, NOW!"

And with that, Cyrus felt like he'd been hit with a thousand hydrogen bombs at once.

…

…

...I guess I did it right.

…

...wait, this isn't right! Where…

Beeping. I hear beeping. What…

Wait…

...Oh, that's what it was.

"DAMMIT!" I tossed in my bed, looking at my clock. It was 7:00. I'd forgotten to turn off the alarm; I didn't need it anymore. I had thrown the alarm at the wall that day. It broke, to my surprise. I hadn't thrown it that hard. I got out of bed and thought about that dream. It felt so vivid and real… but back then I thought it was impossible for that to be anything else but a regular dream. Back then I forgot about it and had a great day… but that was a week ago. I know why the alarm clock broke now. And I'm not exactly having good days anymore. Interesting days, sure, but not good though. But I remember a saying a friend of mine told me once… when everything's at it's worst, the only way things can go is up. Doesn't really make much sense, but… he's right. I hope so, at least.

...

...

OW! Tripped on my tail again. Gotta get used to that.


	2. Chapter 1 (Unrecognizable)

**Hey hey, JackalRaptor here again! Here's the first chapter of my new (and at the time of typing this, my only) story, Convergent Fates! I know the title doesn't make sense now, but it will eventually. Trust me on that one. Anyway, make sure to review, whether it be giving me tips, talking about how great this is, or talking about how much it sucks! But I'm SURE none of you will do that, right? Yeah, totally. I don't own any of the franchises and other references in this story, but the characters, settings and plot are mine. You can use them if you want, but make sure to ask me first. Make sure to check me out on my Twitter, JackalRaptor (Follow me and i'll follow you back), and my Deviantart (which at this time I never really use XD) Now, without further ado, read, like and review! (That's gonna be my catchphrase from now on. It's a bit cliche, so tell me if you have any better ideas.)**

 _ **Convergent Fates, Chapter 1: Unrecognizable**_

 _ **Jay's POV**_

I woke up to an annoying light shining in my eyes. I really needed to save up to replace those blinds. I slowly got out of bed, half-convinced I was still sleeping, and I felt like I'd just ran a marathon, even though I hadn't done anything but lay in bed from nine PM on watching anime on VRV, falling asleep around one in the morning. I squinted as the sunlight shone through the small lines made by cracks in the closed blinds. I was slightly pissed off at the blinds for not completely blocking the light, and the sun for making the light that woke me up in the first place. Then the logical part of my mind kicked in, and I was thankful my friend and housemate Tony had lent me blinds, much less a room, at all. After ditching college, I would rather have died then moved back in with my parents, and so I was just planning on living in the luxurious expanse of my car for the rest of my boring, shitty life. Then guess who came from abroad with a golden opportunity at living a normal lifestyle? Yep, Tony did. Believe it or not, Tony is way lazier than I am, but his parents are filthy rich and pay for him, his life, and everything he wants, but I had a feeling they wouldn't do that forever. I groggily looked at new alarm clock on my desk. It was October 5, 2017, and more specifically, it was 11:30 in the morning, on a Thursday; Tony had apparently done me a solid and let me sleep in. I was still half awake, and therefore I barely kept myself from falling over as I shuffled to the closed door at the opposite corner of my room, weaving around piles of clothes and manga.

I opened the door, shoulders slouched, eyes still half shut. Somehow the doorknob felt different, more rough. I'd have to get that checked out later. As I walked through the hallway in my boxers, I could hear the frying pan going, and I smelt bacon. Tony might be lazy, but he's the best cook I know. Hell, he could make a living as a cook, and he wouldn't even need his parents. I walked into the kitchen and there he was, heating up some bacon in a pan. The sunlight shimmered off his dyed-red hair in a way that made it seem like glass or plastic, but he claimed he was going for a "shimmering effect." He was wearing his typical morning attire: a black tank top and gym shorts two sizes too big for him. He had a spiral-like tattoo on his right shoulder which had no significant meaning, but was just a pattern he found online and thought looked cool. It did look cool to be honest, and it made him look like a Hawaiian surfer or something. He was whistling the tune to "The Legend of Zelda." There was a Stranger Things episode playing on the TV.

"gmrnin…" I mumbled. Tony looked around.

That was when he dropped the frying pan, eggs and all, and started yelling and panicking. And did I mention all the yelling?

 _ **Tony's POV**_

I wanted to eat it so bad. The feeling of shaking beautiful masterpieces in a pan as they generate smells that make you want to devour fifty of them, but being unable to attain it for another 10 minutes is an agonizing form of torture, let me tell you. I'm talking, of course, about bacon. I thought I was going to go insane, so I started whistling, which helps me calm down and concentrate on other important things. I wondered when Jay would get up. When my parents got me this house, I was happy at first, but I soon got really lonely.. Then I heard along the grape vine that Jay, a friend from high school, had dropped out of high school and was living in a small Toyota. I knew I had to do something, so I called him up and we talked. I was afraid he'd have grown out of the things we had in common, but I soon realized we had more similarities now than ever before. So he came to my place and settled down.

Things have been a lot better since he came. I only have to do certain chores 50% of the time, and we each have our own bathroom. Things are great, and I don't want anything to change from how they are now.

"gmrnin." I heard from behind me.

I turned around expecting to see Jay, and was instead greeted by a large, bipedal black and white dragon-like creature. It was about six feet tall, with a four foot long tail. It had stripes crossing it's face and oval patterns around it's thighs and shoulders. It's eyes were half open, revealing icy blue slit lizard eyes. It's tail swayed slowly, like that of a predator stalking its prey. For a second I thought Jay was wearing a costume, but then it yawned, revealing razor-sharp teeth and a throat that ruled out any possibility of being Jay. This thing was the real deal. Here I thought I was going to have a nice day, but I just had to jinx it, didn't I?

"HOLY FUUUUUUUCK!"

 _ **Jay's POV**_

"HOLY FUUUUUUUCK!"

That's the first thing Tony shouted in my face as I watched I dismay as the bacon clattered to the floor, grease spilling on the gray carpet. Despite his immediate shouting, I was still not fully awake at that point, but I still tried to express my surprise in an intelligent, sophisticated manner.

"wwutt? wwuhapend?" I muttered, attempting to pronounce it a bit more this time. Tony was still freaking out, but what could he be freaking out about? Did I smell bad or something?

"STAY AWAY, I'LL STAB YOU! I KNOW JUDO, BITCH!" He shouted, grabbing the nearby butcher knife. He was pretty skilled at martial arts, that much was true. The danger of getting my ass kicked _again_ just about snapped me out of my trance.

"Wuh, heyy wuzz rong? You goood?" I asked, genuinely concerned but unable to show it much because I was still really tired. He suddenly froze, like he had seen something terrible, like a ghost or a Miley Cyrus music video.

"I-it talks…?" He stuttered, his eyes wider than they were the time the teacher caught us spray painting the bathroom in 7th grade (Out of school suspension for a week…). He slowly looked me over, making me feel self-conscious a bit. Then he eyed my boxers. We'd lived together for weeks now, so I thought he'd have been okay with me walking around without pants. I was still surprised he'd reacted this harshly though, it was sort of unnerving. He looked at me in horror.

"J-jay?! Is… that you?!" He asked me, unable to process that fact that I wasn't wearing pants… I think. Now I was just confused.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Holy shit… Jay, I don't know how to say this, but… look at yourself, what _is_ this?"

"What's what? I'm sorry if I didn't wear pants but I thought…" I looked down at my legs. They were black and white, and my toes were claws now. I slowly processed what I saw and brought up my hands, eying the new claws there as well. I attempted to formulate a sentence that manifested both my surprise and dismay in equal measures while still sounding pleasant to the ear.

"nonononoNONONONONONONONO!" Yeah, not exactly what I was going for, but I'd take it. I ran to the bathroom to check myself in the mirror. Staring back was a dragon, with stripe and oval patterns all over me. I had a snout, and was strangely surprised I hadn't noticed that sooner. There were horns coming out the back of my head, my hair was a slick black with the occasional white streak running through it. Ignoring Tony's vigorous questioning, I opened my mouth, revealing a blue tongue and serrated teeth. I also had a long tail, which I was able to move around like a flexible arm. In a world where there were no supernatural occurrences whatsoever, I had become a dragon.

My first reaction was excitement. I could open pickle jars with ease, and earn millions by offering to be researched on and interviewed. I'd become the most talked about person in the world! But then, of course, reality struck me in the face hard. I'd have to quit my job. I couldn't go out in public without causing a scene. When I sat on the toilet would my tail get in the way? Would I be experimented on by the government if I was found? Was I exclusively carnivorous now? If I was female would I lay eggs? So many questions were going through my head that I felt I was going to mentally break down and go insane. Tony came in the bathroom and noticed tears welling up in my eyes.

"Hey, Jay… I don't know how this happened, but I'm sorry about this, and being a giant lizard must be really hard for you, and I'll be here to help if you need anything. Just ask and I'll try to see what I can do."

This was just too much. I burst into tears, crying into his tank-top as he embraced me in a manly hug. What would I tell my parents and friends? I couldn't deal with this.

"OH GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THIIiiiiss…" I sobbed, my new snout buried in his chest.

"You should just lay down, take a bit of a rest. It'll help you calm down and relax." That was the best idea I'd heard all day. I shakily nodded and walked to my room, flopping on the bed again. I felt around my new body (That feels so weird to say) and besides the snout, scales, claws and tail I couldn't find any differences. A thought came to mind, and I checked in my pants. Yep, it was still there. I breathed a sigh of relief. After my initial shock, I was feeling a lot better about this. I pulled up the covers, but laying on my back felt weird for some reason, so I slept on my side. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I did know it probably wouldn't end well, but until something happened I had decided to try to live a normal life. With that, I closed my eyes and stopped thinking. I thought I'd never be able to sleep, but within a few minutes I slowly dozed off for the second time that day…

 _ **Third Person POV**_

From the top of an apartment complex on the other side of the street, two disguised, cloaked figures sat, watching their target slowly doze away. One of them, a tall male dragon wearing a weird ninja suit under his cloak and was checking an advanced and futuristic smartphone, which was holographically displaying three dimensional videos of people falling off bicycles and skateboards. The other one, a young feline woman wearing designer clothes was vigorously typing code into an Apple computer. She was noticeably pissed off.

"You know, that ninja suit you decided to wear looks stupid." She mumbled.

"Aw, not this again! It's a reconnaissance mission, I should be able to wear a cool disguise! Besides, it's really comfortable, and it has a massage option that's like a portable spa treatment! Anyway, about the reason we're here," He said, pointing at the condominium, "He took that way more dramatically than I thought he would." The bigger one said, breaking the silence. The feline looked up at him like he was an idiot.

"YOU THINK?! You changed his fucking _species_ without his consent or knowledge in an age where that isn't even possible! And it would be one thing if he knew what he had turned into, but he doesn't even know what he is! Of course he's gonna freak out over it; I told you this was a horrible idea. First the travelling incident and now this; I _so_ shouldn't have come with you guys." The smaller feminine figure replied angrily, surprising the dragon with her outburst.

"Well, it's not like we had a choice. Oh wait- you did! I asked you if you were coming and you were all for it! For me, it was either this or to-"

"Yeah yeah yeah I got it you don't need to bring that up!"

"Sorry." The dragon replied sheepishly, "I wasn't exactly a big fan either, jeez. Anyway, how soon do you think he'll be able to use his ability?" The large figure asked.

"Given his potential, He'll do it in a matter of a week or so."

"A _week_? I don't wanna stay here that long, this place sucks!"

"Oh, but you didn't have a choice, remember?" The feline said, making the dragon grin. She knew exactly how to get on his nerves, but he liked that.

"I-" he started, but she wasn't having any of his bull.

And anyway, We'll lucky if this isn't over a month! Now shut up, we need to gather supplies for the others. Let's go."

"Sigh… on it." And with that, the two cloaked figures seemed to vanish into nothingness in an instant, leaving no evidence they were ever there, except for a bottle of some consumable drink the dragon one left behind...

 **Well, that's the end of Chapter 1 of Convergent Fates! Review and tell me what I'm doing right and wrong; every piece of advice helps! I'm looking forward to writing more, and I'm currently making art to go with each chapter. That's right, I don't just write, I also draw, as well as accept commissions from followers on my Twitter. Sorry, but I don't have any art for this chapter. Next time, I promise. Anyway, that's all for now, so see you all next chapter, and this is JackalRaptor, signing off for the day.**


	3. Chapter 2 (No Place in the Real World)

_**Hey, guess who! That's right, JackalRaptor here again with another chapter for the few people who are currently interested in this. Thanks, guys. Until more people notice that I exist, I'm just gonna keep writing for the guys who do read this. Sorry for the long absence, as I had some personal stuff going on in my life. Yes, I understand that it's awkward to take a break right after the first chapter, but it's not like I had a choice! The important thing is that I'm back now with more content ever before! That's technically speaking, as this is my longest chapter yet… In other news, I'm going to take this story into less of an emotional tone, and bring it in more of a comedy/action story. To be honest, that's sorta what I was going for from the start, for Act 1 at least. I actually didn't really like what was going on in chapter 1, but this is supposed to be realistic. If you turn into a giant lizard you're going to freak out, whether it's with happiness or fear. Me, I'd be stoked. Anyway, make sure to check out my Twitter sometime! I'm also working on art for this story's profile picture while I'm offline, so I'll have that little present for you all in a bit! Now I'm sure you all came here for more Convergent Fates, not to listen to me talk my ass off. So without further ado, read, like and review!**_

 _ **Convergent Fates, Chapter 2: No Place in the Real World**_

 **Jay's POV**

I woke to the sound of shouting. I could vaguely hear the unfamiliar voice of a man furiously yelling. Then the voice was suddenly silenced. For a second I sat in bed, confused at the loud noise. Then I looked down at my newly changed body-I'll never get used to saying that-and I began to panic. Was someone in the house? Had the government come to abduct me for science experiments? Was I going to be dissected or worse? More importantly, would they let me keep my phone? Probably not.

I flipped over the bed sheets in a messy fashion, and sprang out of bed, looking at the clock. It was 2:13 PM; I'd slept for a couple hours. If they were going to take me away from my house, and not to mention my wi-fi, then I at least wasn't going to go out without a fight. They were violating my civil rights and they knew it. I grabbed a black and grey T-Shirt with the "OBEY" logo on it, and some blue jeans off the floor. I quickly put on the T-Shirt, but the snout got in the way, so I had to look up as I did it. As I put on my jeans, I noticed that my tail was in the way, making it impossible to put on, and that my boxers were largely ripped through the back, luckily not enough to expose anything. I quickly ran over to my dresser and pulled out my pocket knife, which I kept safe for anytime someone broke in. No one had ever broken in yet, but I was paranoid, and ever since we had to hunt that giant rat in the kitchen, I wasn't taking any chances. I ran the pocket knife through the back of the jeans, listening to the shouting which was still going on. I could now also hear some rhythmic music, but it was impossible to tell whether that was from our apartment or a neighbor's apartment. What the hell was going on out there!?

I was happy to find that I had cut an almost perfect fitting hole on my first try. It was a bit large at the top, so I'd have to be careful or the pants would rip completely. I quickly pulled the jeans up, grabbed the pocket knife, and opened the door. My plan was to slowly crawl behind the kitchen island while they weren't looking. Then I could go through the open fire escape-Tony always left it open in the afternoon-and run like hell. Wait… was Tony okay? If whoever was in the condo had done anything to hurt him, I swear I'd screw running and beat the shit out of all of them. I peeked around the corner, ready for a fight. Then I saw what the shouting and music was.

"SONO CHI NO SADAME! JOOOOOO, JO!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. The shouting was coming from the TV. It was just Tony watching anime.

 _ **Tony's POV**_

"Hey." I heard from behind me. I turned around, seeing Jay come out of the hallway, putting something-was that a knife?-in his pocket. "What anime is that? I haven't seen it." That was just like him, trying to distract me from how he felt to keep me from worrying. I knew one nap wouldn't fully calm him down after something like this, not even close.

"It's JoJo. Wait, you haven't seen it? Damn, you're missing out; it's a great show. But, um... are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think I little rest was just what I needed, so I feel a lot better. But I had to cut a hole in the back of my jeans, so I guess I can't say the same about them." Jay said with a small grin. I was surprised to find that despite having a snout, Jay was still capable of producing understandable facial expressions. As a matter of fact, they seemed more animated and understandable than before.

"That's a shame, but I'm glad you're alright. Now," I said, pausing the TV, "we need to talk about the future. Other than my job at Sushi-Yama and my parents' occasional loan, your job at Panera Bread is our main source of income. If you're like this, you obviously won't be able to work there anymore. Without the job, it's going to be a lot harder to pay taxes and keep our apartment, so we need to find a better newer way to pay for stuff."

"Woah, woah! One step at a time. Before anything, can we figure out what happened to me and how? If we find out how I became like this, we can maybe figure out how I can change back to normal. Besides, ever since I got a tail I can't sit down without leaning over slightly, and it's pretty uncomfortable. Maybe we could check the footage from the security cameras in the hallways. We'd just have sneak down when they're not looking and check."

"Or, maybe we could-I don't know- _ask_ _them_?" I replied sarcastically.

"What? No way! Then they're going to ask why, and I'm not dealing with that." He had a fair point; we'd silently agreed to keep this a secret, apparently. We sat in silence, desperately grabbing at solutions that didn't exist. Jay then got up and walked over to the fridge, opening it and grabbing a lettuce leaf. He started chewing on it, and reached for another.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused at his sudden hunger.

"I want to see if I'm still able to eat plants, or if I'm a carnivore now. All my teeth are razor sharp now, but this lettuce doesn't taste bad, so I'm still not sure..."

"Wait, no! Don't eat it if it might be bad for you; that's like trying to see if something is poisonous by eating it!"

"Shit, you're right. I hope I don't get diarrhea or something later… wait, how do I sit on a toilet now with my tail in the way?" Jay wondered, the confusion clearly visible on his face.

"Eh, you'll find a way to make it work." I said. I suddenly had the feeling I was forgetting something important. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Work! I had work today in under an hour! I wish I could stay home to help Jay, but with me now being the only one with a job, I had no choice but to take every opportunity I could to work. Besides, he was a dragon now; I was sure he could handle himself.

"Jay, I've got to go, Sushi-Yama's needs me and the sushi isn't going to yama itself."

"What?! What if someone knocks on the door? Don't just leave me here!"

"Don't answer the door. Just watch some JoJo. It's really good, trust me." I said as I grabbed a coat off the hanger, and walked towards the door.

"But there's barely any food, what if I get hungry?! How can I-"

"Just don't go outside! Watch TV!" I yelled, and without further ado, I shut the door and made my way out the building. I guess I was a bit rude, I hope I didn't make him feel too bad...

 _ **Jay's POV**_

"Well, I guess I might as well…" I said, flopping on the couch and turning on the TV. I wondered why Tony was that mad, he usually had a happy attitude no matter the situation. Maybe it was partly because I couldn't work anymore, so now we probably wouldn't be able to afford as much nice stuff. I felt bad. I was the cause of his problems but I was unable to do anything to stop them.

I decided to take his advice and try to take my mind off of it. I didn't feel in the mood to watch some TV though, so instead I booted up the Wii U. I was happy to find that my new claws didn't hinder my ability to play at all, and in fact were not that different from just having longer, pointy fingernails. I decided to play Super Smash Bros, mainly because I was generally better than most players and didn't want to get rusty. I'd thought about joining tournaments, but then I realized I didn't have enough money to travel to any. I went to online mode, and selected 1v1 mode, choosing Cloud, my main.

In the first match, I fought a Link who obviously didn't know what he was doing. After he went for a super obvious down-air, I air dodged and he fell off the stage, not using his up-special until the last moment. The next fight was a Diddy Kong who kept spamming dash attacks and peanut guns. He also kept using the same recovery, so he used up his jumps, and used the jetpack; then I jumped off the stage towards him and neutral-aired. The next match was "JacklRaptr" using Bayonetta. She caught me in a combo, which continued until I was at 47%, But when I tried to retaliate, she witch-timed me. From then on, she just kept spamming Witch Time over and over while slowly adding damage. As I attempted to hit her with a Climhazard, she used a down air and we both fell down. She then recovered, but Cloud wasn't a character known for his recovery, so it ended in my first loss of the day. That was such a bad fight that I decided to stop for now.

I decided to watch that anime Tony had recommended to me, and ended up impressed. I was up to the part when Jonathan fights Dio in a burning mansion, when suddenly, something happened. One second I was watching Dio walk up the wall, the next, I was sprawled out on the floor of the kitchen. No time had passed in between the two moments, yet I was in a completely different place than before. I quickly jumped up and paused the TV, and looked back at the spot where I'd been. Then I saw it. Something had sawed one of the wooden chairs in half, right through the top. Was something here, or… had I done that? No, that would be impossible, I didn't even remember getting up, much less slicing the chair in half. But with these claws… it wasn't impossible. I had to test it out. Taking one of the halves of the chair, I poised my hand, planning to spear the chair in half. I thrust my claws at the piece of wood, expecting it to explode into little splintery bits. It didn't, to my dismay. Instead, I left a small indent in the wood and a stab of pain in my hand.

"Owwwww! Fuck!" I yelled at nobody in particular. I was confused as to why I thought that would work, or why I even wanted it to work in the first place. Whatever, I'd have to worry about that later. But weird things kept happening to me, and so I'd have to figure out why eventually. For now, however, I decided the only thing I could do at this point was to just sit back and let all the weird shit go down, and hope it all ended out okay. Despite my decision however, I was still pissed off about it. Was I really this powerless over my own decisions?! I sure hoped not, I couldn't accept that!

"What now, universe?! What the fuck now!? What weird-ass shit are you going to shove up my ass this time!? Are unicorns in the bathroom? Is the Statue of Liberty going to walk over to my house and take a piss on my car? Well, guess what? I don't give a shit what happens anymore! Go ahead, take whatever fucked up shit you have and throw it all at me! Go the fuck ahead!"

…

It seemed like the universe had decided to give me the silent treatment. How fitting. Wait… I felt something. I could feel something that I had never felt in my life, as power seemed to surge through my veins and-

"RRRRMMMM!" My stomach growled. I decided to rescind my earlier statement; that was pain I felt, not power. Yep, definitely not power. I had an intense stomach ache, which felt as if it was slowly getting more intense by the minute. Was it because I hadn't ate lunch yet? I opened the pantry, and was surprised to find that besides pancake mix, and a jar of honey, the only food I could find was 4 leftover taco shells and a strawberry fruit bar. I quickly ripped open the plastic wrap and devoured the fruit bar, and I was delighted to find that not only was the consumption of plant-based foods still safe (for me at least), but my taste buds had intensified dramatically since I'd last used them. The bad news was that the bar hadn't calmed my stomach in the least. I opened up the bag of taco shells, scarfing them down one by one. It tasted like stale tortilla chips, and it still didn't calm my stomach in the least. I checked the fridge, but the fridge was almost completely empty, excluding some butter, a bottle of mustard, a moldy banana and some mayonnaise. There was something wrong, this wasn't normal. The pain was getting worse now; my eyesight tinged blue… wait, why blue? Maybe these were the delayed growing pains of my sudden… change. I felt like I was going to pass out, or throw up. I ran to the toilet, but of course it had to be clogged. This meant that the only option was to throw up out the window. I didn't want to be noticed, and Tony had told me not to expose myself at all. However, this was an emergency. I passed the cut up chair and ran to the window, ready to slam it open and ruin the day of whoever happened to be down below. But as I ran over to the window, I froze. The window had somehow opened by itself in my absence, and there was a small canister on the windowsill, and attached to it was a post-it-note. Someone was definitely here.

I ignored the pain in my stomach and carefully examined the can. The note was tied to it with a fancy red ribbon. The note read, "Take one of these, it'll help with the pain. Not all the way, but it'll help. You're welcome!" Under that, erased but still visibly noticeable, was another line saying, "P.S: Stop being a pussy!" Unnerving as it was, I ignored the rude statement and opened up the canister. Inside were a dozen blue pills, about the size of my fingernail. I grabbed some water, but hesitated. Could I really trust whoever had left this?

"Ah, screw it. I got nothing to lose." I said indifferently, gulped a pill down. Instantly, my stomach calmed itself from a loud roar to a timid grumble. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally have some relief, even if not all the way. Grabbing the can, I put it on top of the fridge, in case I'd need it again soon. As I set it down, however, I could notice something on the back of the note, the side facing the can. I took the note off completely and found more writing, which said, "Eat something within 1 hour of taking the pill or you'll throw up, pass out and die slowly. It has to be at least the size of a candy bar." I had heard that one needed to eat some food after eating solid pills, because they almost always had negative effects if you didn't. So since I'd just eaten a mysterious pill that instantly cures stomach aches, I'd have to eat something fast. And then I realized there was barely any food in the condominium. I'd have to somehow go out to get some more food without getting noticed, but if I was like this, then how was that possible? I entered my room and grabbed the baggiest pants I could find. My aunt had sent them to me for my 17th birthday, without bothering to ask me my size, and instead had just assumed puberty had transformed me into a humongous giant who wore XXL pants.

I grabbed the tape from the kitchen and taped my tail to my left leg, which felt awkward, like I'd tied my legs together. I put on the baggy pants, which were unable to stay up at all without the usage of a belt. After putting on a hoodie two sizes too large for me, I was indistinguishable from any other person unless viewed from the front. Some sunglasses and a blue scarf quickly cleared up this problem. Now all I had to do was leave the condominium complex, go to a store, buy some food and get back home. The nearest food store was a 7-11 a block down, but I didn't want to be out in the open that long. I gazed out the window for a minute before spotting a hotdog vendor near the entrance. I could grab one, make a run for it, and climb up the fire escape to the third floor. Piece of cake.

I cautiously opened the door, peeking out to spot anyone near. There weren't any bystanders, to my surprise. I pressed the ground level elevator button and waited as the number blinked from 6… to 5… to 4… to 3, and then the door opened. My eyes widened as there was an old woman with her dog. It was small, white and fluffy. I almost couldn't resist the urge to pet it- I've always been a fan of dogs- but I maintained my composure and silently entered.

"You've bundled up a lot; is it really so chilly out today?" She asked quizzically.

"W-well yeah, it's pretty cold out, and um, I have a cold so I need the layers."

"Well I certainly hope you get better, sonny. I can hear it in your voice, it's quite hoarse." She seemed genuinely concerned.

"Aw, thanks, miss." I said. The elevator door opened, and I walked out of the lobby, paranoid I'd blow my cover. As I walked out, I saw the hotdog vendor and noticed that since I'd left he'd moved progressively closer to the entrance of the complex. I moved closer to the vendor, and suddenly, all the cars on the crowded street slowed down to a literal snail's pace. I'm serious, they all barely moved. Then I looked and saw that the people had all but froze as well. It was as if time had stopped… but that was impossible. It had to be some other phenomenon. Confused, I walked over to the hotdog the vendor was making, noticing my steps seemed to echo on the concrete like cheap plastic. I grabbed the hotdog, waited as the vendor didn't react in any way. Then I ran into the alleyway. The world, or time, seemed to start again as the bustling and noise ironically returned.

"The hotdog! What happened, who took it?!" I heard from behind me. I must admit, I did feel pretty guilty. As I lowered the scarf to eat the unfinished dog, I heard more yelling, closer this time.

"Hey, this guy has it!" He was pointing at me. Just my luck.

I panicked and ran, almost tripping over my baggy pants. I wasn't used to running with my tail strapped to my leg; it felt unnatural. I could hear running from behind me. I knew the alleyways pretty well, ever since I had gotten lost trying to find the dumpster (Don't ask). I took a left, then a right, followed by another right. I was hoping to find the fire escape that led to the roof of my neighboring building. On the roof, there was a large slab of wood someone had randomly left in between the building and ours that we found was strong enough to sustain a grown man's weight. Well, we'd thrown bricks at it and that hadn't broken it, so we were pretty sure at least. Then it was a simple matter of going into the rooftop door, and locking it behind me. After a couple more turns, I reached the ladder, silently praising myself for remembering how to get there. I threw the wrapping on the ground and shoved the hotdog into my maw, savoring it as I began to climb up the ladder to the start of the fire escape on the second floor.

"Ay, there he is! Get your ass back down here!" It was the hotdog vendor and some drug addict-looking man. They were both holding knives. I began to climb faster. The vendor grabbed the ladder.

I hit the fire escape and began to desperately flee up the stairs with the two men in hot pursuit.

"Get back here and we'll let you keep your balls!" The drug addict said. I attempted to be brave about the whole situation.

"Fuck off!" I yelled from twenty feet up the staircase. This seemed to piss them off extremely as one of them threw their knife with surprising precision. I expected it to miss, and kept running. Then my side seemed to feel a bit hot, and I looked down. There was the knife, sticking out of my side like a knife in a birthday cake. I attempted my best not to scream.

"RAAAAAAAAAA!" I couldn't help myself. I was surprised to hear that my scream sounded more like a roar… which I found awkwardly stereotypical. My body couldn't seem to make up its mind as the pain bolted through the rest of my body as adrenaline rushed through at the same time. I tore out the knife, throwing it away (Surprisingly it landed on someone's balcony) and ran even faster, my movements becoming even more spastic.

I was one floor away from the top of the condominium building when the tape keeping my tail down ripped, and the baggy pants immediately tore part-way, caught on the railing, and completely tore off, revealing the jeans I'd been wearing before. I reached the roof and, looking behind me, saw that my pursuers had not given up their chase and were only about a floor below me and coming fast. I bolted across the roof, wincing as the little gravel rocks pushed into my shoes. As I neared the edge, I glanced around desperately for the wood slab. Where was it? Then I realized the terrible truth: it wasn't there, and must've fallen off the buildings. Looking down, I found my assumption was true.

"Nowhere to run, eh? Sucks to be you. Before we cut your balls and everything else off, what the fuck's up with that get-up?" The hotdog vendor said, eying my tail.

"Trust me, I'd like to know that just as much as-" I was interrupted as the drug addict rushed at me, ready to punch me in the stomach. I harkened back to when I was in high school, when I took martial arts lessons. My teacher had taught me and a few others how to win a fistfight. "This might seem painfully obvious; pay attention on your opponent's fists in a fistfight." He had said. I had proved to be fairly good at that, so now was a good as time as any to see if I could still do it. I saw his fist coming right towards my stomach, and then something happened. My arm automatically moved in the fist's way and grabbed it, faster than I could process. I realized this was the perfect moment, and punched him without putting much force into it, hoping to make him fall over. Instead he was blown back a dozen yards, as if he had been hit by a truck. He spiraled, landing on his stomach on the other side of the roof, and didn't get up. I stepped back, stunned. How had I done that?! I had no time to question myself as the other pursuer charged at me with his knife, and as it streaked through the air towards my snout, my instincts kicked in again as I dropped low, grabbing his upper arm and punching him in the chest as hard as I could. After a brief moment, he flew upwards a few feet, coughing up blood all over my scarf. I turned to see where he'd land, but I was at the edge of the building. The hotdog vendor went plummeting off the building.

"No!" He may have tried to stab me, but he didn't deserve to die for it… I looked down, hoping that somehow he'd not died. I winced in disgust as there was an unrecognizable bloody smear on the pavement floor. Yep, he had totally died… but it was my fault. Lurching back, I fell on my butt, letting out a quick yelp as the rocks dug into my jeans. I looked up at the sun, setting behind the other buildings. It was getting late, and I wanted nothing more than to go back to the condo and lay down in bed. Getting up slowly, I made my way towards the stairs of the fire escape, ignoring the blurriness the tears made on the sunglasses.

 **? POV**

A wolf and a leopard watched as Jay left, from inside an apartment a few hundred yards away.

"That was insane! Considering he'd changed only a matter of hours ago, I mean. The enhanced abilities following the transformation usually come out an average of a couple weeks after, the sooner depending on the more powerful the ability is. If he did it this fast-"

"They really were right in their studies, gotta give 'em credit as much as I hate to do it." The wolf said reluctantly.

"Yeah… you said it would be a week or so. Guess you were wrong, haha."

"I underestimated him. When the report said 'multiplied,' I'd thought they were exaggerating, but this…"

"Yeah, not to mention that you totally forgot to give him something to eat!"

"How was I supposed to know he was out of food?!" The wolf asked incredulously.

"Whatever. Anyway, I've been thinking. When we make contact, what if he panics and attacks us? At this rate, he'd destroy us completely."

"Come on, we deserve more credit than that. He might have power, but this is unique. Besides, we all have skill; he doesn't. What good is a weapon if there's no one to use it?"

"Good point. Either way, soon we'll be able to use him… and kill them all." The leopard smirked.

And with that, the two left the room to deal with other business.

 _ **And that's that! Here's to hoping I won't get occupied and take as long as I did this time for chapter 3! A big thanks to my friend ODDBALL for motivating me to finish this as soon as I did, otherwise you'd have had to wait a lot longer… Anyway, here's a little surprise for you guys! A bio for Jay!**_ **And just to let you guys know, I will be going with design #2. #1 is harder to draw, so this is better for me.**

 _ **Anyway, I've said my piece. That's all for today! I'll try to post bi-weekly, but until then, see you guys next time on Convergent Fates!**_


	4. Chapter 3 (Potential)

_**Hello, hello! Here's chapter 3 of Convergent Fates, coming right atcha! Hm, now that I think about it, is "atcha" a word? Nevermind. I really don't have that many announcements to make this time around, except for one little thing. I'm relatively new to this, so if you have any suggestions, critiques or comments, please post them in a review and I'll do my best to oblige. Oh, before I start, one last thing. I'll be needing some OCs soon from you guys. I could just make them up myself, but where's the fun in that? Plus with your ideas this story will also have more creative variety, which of course makes this all the more fun for me to write and all the more entertaining for you to read! Well, I've said my piece. Without further ado, like read and review!**_

 _ **Convergent Fates, Chapter 3: Potential**_

 _ **Tony's POV**_

"Two California rolls, three volcano rolls, four spicy dragon rolls, a large bento box, and a sashimi dish. Make it rain out there, Maddie." I said to my co-worker with a wink, handing her the large platter of Japanese cuisine. Chefs and waiters bustled around the kitchen like a beehive. The noise was deafening, but definitely not unbearable. After all, I came here three days a week. I was used to this.

"Gotcha. Here's the next order list, work your magic." She remarked, sticking a post-it-note to my apron. Messy but legible handwriting was scrawled over it. I gave her a thumbs-up and rushed to the table to begin.

"Let's get this party started." My mind seemed to activate a state of autopilot whenever I cooked. I glanced at the note for a fraction of a second, then grabbed everything I needed. Against my better judgement telling me to pay attention, I thought about what Jay was doing right now. If he'd watched JoJo continuously like I predicted he would, he should be near the end of act one right now. His attention span wasn't that long though, so it didn't seem likely. I looked down at the now-finished sushi orders, and carried them out to the serving table for the waiters to dish out to customers.

"Hey Torrey!" I heard over by the chopping block. It was Aiden, whose shift began in about 30 minutes. We all labeled him as a mind-reader, because he had an incredible sixth sense, and he seemed to know exactly what was going on.

"I had a feeling I should come early. I'll finish your shift for you if want."

"Wow, thanks Aiden! I really appreciate it!"

"Don't worry about it. You looked like you had something important to take care of anyway. It's your roommate, right? Is he sick or something?" He asked.

"Wow, you picked that up fast, even for you. Yeah, I guess you could say that. I'm worried, I'm not sure if he'll make it through this."

"Don't worry," he smiled, "I'm sure he will. I have a good feeling about it." That was reassuring.

"Nice. Well, see you later I guess." With that, I walked out the back door and hurried to my car, an old gray Subaru. As I pulled out of the back of the store, I decided I'd listen to the radio.

"This is 103.7, coming at you live and bringing you the latest news on what's going on in the area! A dead body was found just a couple hours ago in an alleyway by Nails Street." I was just about to change the channel to some music when I froze. Jay and I lived on Nails Street.

"It's not a sight for the faint-of-heart, as blood was splattered all over the place, suggesting he fell from the rooftop above. There were no rooftop cameras on the building, but cameras from a building a few hundred yards away caught a blurry video of three figures attacking each other. Speculations state that one of these men threw the other man off the rooftop, but the camera was too far away to get any specific details. Regardless, the picture of the dead man, as well as the video of the fight have been posted on our website, so if anyone knows who this man is, contact us at -" I turned off the radio. Even if there really was a murder near our condo, it wasn't like I had anything to do with it. I had nothing to worry about. Despite that, I still felt a worrying suspicion about Jay after hearing that. I floored the gas and headed home.

 _ **Jay's POV**_

I was relieved to find that there were not very many pedestrians as I walked home, lost in thought. Seems like everyone knew better than to stay out at night in a big city. Nevertheless, I'd cringe in fear whenever I saw someone out, hoping they'd avoid glancing at the shady hooded guy with the bloody wound and the tail. After what had just happened, I couldn't think straight. My mind swam in a pool of guilt, pain and confusion. Who could blame me, I had just killed a man. I let that go through my head a few times over. I had punched a man off a 11-story building. I made him scream as he fell through the air. I looked down as he splattered in a large red stain on the pavement. I couldn't take it back. Everything from the bottom of the fire escape on the building was a blur to me. After a while though, I realized there wasn't any point. Yeah, that's right! Thinking about this wasn't going to accomplish anything! I'd done something horrible, that much was true. But I'd only make myself feel even worse if this kept up, so I might as well think about something else to take my mind off of it, and focus on something I can change for the better. I looked up from the ground and was surprised to find I was already in front of the door to my apartment. Weird, I swore I hadn't been walking that long, only a couple minutes. Ignoring the awkward timelapse, I entered my door. Everything was how I liked it which pleasantly surprised me, although I don't know what I expected.

I collapsed on the couch ready to take a long nap but winced in pain as I quickly remembered the knife wound I'd sustained earlier. I carefully took of my shirt and hoodie. The damage was worse than I thought. There was blood caked up as a huge scab, while more blood suddenly dribbled down my side, probably from the sudden removal of my upper garments. I quickly yanked a fist of toilet paper from the roll on the wall and pressed it on the wound, watching as it quickly turned blood red. After grabbing bandages and other medical supplies, the blood got a lot less messy and I slowly felt the pain fade away. The tight squeezing of the bandages felt awkward, yet soothing. I thought of Tony and started to feel uneasy. He told me to stay in and I completely ignored him, and look where that got me. I had no doubt that he'd be mad at me, but how would he react to the wound I'd sustained? If I knew Tony he'd definitely overreact somehow. Then again, I'd been stabbed. "Overreact" wasn't exactly a word I could use here. I began to feel a pulling sensation in my head. I realized I'd been feeling this all day, but it was only now that I could feel something noticeably… different. Don't get me wrong, it didn't feel bad at all. It felt pretty good, actually. I noticed I was getting distracted, so walked out the bathroom, only to freeze in shock. One of the chairs by the table, along with a few cups, were floating in the air for no apparent reason.

I stumbled back in a mix of confusion and terror. The chair immediately stopped levitating, clattering onto the floor with the cups, in which two of them broke into pieces. For a second I stood there, wondering what had just occurred in front of me and what had just occurred. What caused that? Did it have anything to do with the time the other chair was split into pieces? It couldn't be. Then again, with what had been happening, I suppose anything was possible. I gingerly scraped up the pieces of shattered cups and threw them away. As I set the chair back, a sudden realization came to me: what if I was doing all these things subconsciously? It was a stretch, but I decided to test my theory. If this worked, I could make my life as a giant lizard so much easier. I steadied my breathing, beginning to feel the familiar pull I'd been feeling since the morning get slightly more intense.

"Alright," I said to myself, "here goes nothing."

 _ **Tony's POV**_

I pulled into the parking garage. As I walked towards the elevator leading to our condo's hallway, I heard a voice from behind me, maybe twenty or thirty feet away.

"Hey."

I began to turn around, but I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't turn around."

"Um, okay, who are you and what do you want?" I asked, confused.

"That's not important. As for what I want, see… it's about your friend." My eyes widened at that.

"Before you ask, yeah, I know about his little problem. How do you think it happened in the first place? Now, I'm gonna keep this short and simple, aight? I'm in a bad mood today so I don't want to put up with any bullshit. The thing is, me and some guys are gonna be coming over soon. You're the only one from here who knows about him, and that makes you a problem. Now all I want you to do is one simple thing. Think you can handle it?" His voice was sort of hoarse and deep… sort of like Jay's new voice, but older. Either way, he was serious, but I wasn't going to take his shit either.

"Depends on what it is, man. Now are you gonna say what you wanted me to do or are you really only here to waste my time?" I smirked, but I also expected to be punched across the head or something. However, his reaction was surprising.

"Hehehehe. I like that attitude, reminds my of a friend of mine. Anyway, all I need you to do for me is stay out of the way when we come to do our… business. Don't contact anyone about this. As much as I don't want to, I will kill you." I looked over at the car nearest to me and could see a blurry reflection of the man behind me. He was wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans from what I could tell. It was to blurry to see his skin, but I thought I could make out… a tail. Could this guy be another dragon person?! I looked again, but it wasn't there this time. Maybe I was just imagining things, but I wasn't sure...

"All right man, I won't. Just please let me go." I said, bored of this situation.

"Fine. But I find you've fucked up-and I will find out-then…" he seemed to trail off. As I was about to ask him what he would say next, I felt like a burst of lightning had just coursed through my shoulder.

"Aaaah!" I yelled in surprise, reflexively turning around to face the man, but he'd disappeared. I looked down at my shoulder and watched as new small greenish crystals on my shirt seemed to dissipate into thin air…

I put the lock in the door and entered the condo.

"Jay? What's going on?" I called.

"Tony, you're back! So much shit happened while you were gone and I'm sorry but I had to go out and there were two guys and-"

"Woah woah, calm down. You went out? Why?! I told you to stay in!"

"Yeah, but I had the worst stomach ache, and a medicine container appeared on the windowsill which said I needed to eat something with it or I'd die. There wasn't any food in here so I had to go out and buy a hotdog from the hotdog vendor outside. I went to do it but time stopped so I just grabbed one from his hand, but then time started again and he noticed and his bodyguard friend and him ran after me! And then I went to the roof and… um…" Jay seemed to stumble on his words a bit at that point.

"Okay. I have so many questions right now, but first, What happened?"

"I… I outran them. They lost me. But, um, one of them threw a knife at me and it got in my side. I bandaged it." I had a feeling he was leaving something out, but I'd ask him later. He seemed pretty shook up about

"You got fucking STABBED?! Let me see, I work in a kitchen so I know how to deal with this." I said proudly.

"Until a few days ago I worked in a kitchen too, you know."

"Shut up. Lemme see." I gingerly unwrapped his bandages and checked the damage. There was a noticeable scar but it looked like the cut had been made days ago.

"B-but that's impossible, it was huge and spurting blood everywhere a couple hours ago!" He shouted.

"Hmm. Lizards are better at healing, right?" I said sarcastically.

"Ohh. Huh, that sort of makes sense. Anyway, after that I walked home and that's when the chair started floating."

"Wait. What? Now you're just fucking with me."

"Nonononononono! I'm serious! It floated, and then I had a hunch that I might've been doing that. I tested it out, and it was amazing. Watch this." Jay suddenly intensely focused on an eraser on the nearby table. For a moment nothing happened. Then, slowly but surely, the eraser began to levitate in the air. It went about two feet before falling on the floor. I stepped back.

"Jay, this is… this is incredible. First you're a lizard, and now you have telekinesis… you're gonna be a superhero or something, do you realize that?!"

"Oh hell no. I'm definitely not going public with this. Besides, right now I can barely lift a pound. People won't pay to see floating office supplies."

"Yeah, good point." I said. I still couldn't shake the thought of that guy from before. Those crystals on my shoulder had freaked me out before they evaporated. Who knows what else that man could do.

"You seem upset. What happened?" Jay asked.

"It's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it." I sighed and looked out the window. As the last rays of sunlight illuminated the buildings, I could see a figure standing on the roof of a building across the street. A figure wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans, with a tail sticking out the back of his pants. My eyes widened, but before I could react, he'd walked away.

 _ **Dalia's POV**_

Packing up my things after working a shift at Sushi-Yama's was my favorite part of the day. I got my lipstick, phone, a few spare boxes, and other accessories. Before I left though, I noticed I'd left Tony Warren's paycheck on the table. Tony was probably the best cook here, and he was definitely getting a promotion. I should know, I'm the boss of the store. I decided I'd put my employee's check in my purse until he came tomorrow. As I walked towards my car, I thought about Nathan. Ever since he'd been hacking and coughing this morning I'd been worried so. He sure wasn't faking it, Nathan was too well-behaved for that. My only complaint was that he spent all day on that laptop of his. It just wasn't healthy for him. I hoped he'd get over that sickness soon, he'd already missed a whole day of high school.

 **Aaaaand that's that! Chapter 3, folks. Sorry about the delay, balancing art, stories and gaming is harder than you'd think. I've been thinking about making illustrations for parts of the story. Tell me what you think! Was this a bit too cliche? I'd like to know. In other news, I've switched the alias "JackalRaptor" to my gamertag. I'll be going by Xyveon from here on out. Well, this is Xyveon signing off for now! Ciao!**


End file.
